Greatest Tank Battles - Military Channel

[rkr1958]

I was watching an episode of the Greatest Tank Battles on the Military Channel that was on the Battle of the Bulge. What struck me an interview was a German tanker who fought in the battle. His tank was driving down a road an a lucky phosphorus round fired from a rifle broke, or jammed, one his treads rendering his tank immobile. He stated that every German tanker knew that they were only allowed to bail out of their tank if it was on fire. So he and his crew had to stay. He said that started counting the hits from these phosphorous rounds. I believe he said it was over 25 hits before one ignited something on the tank and they could bail out without fear of being shot for desertion. Just though I'd pass this along as I found it interesting and thought other might too.

[Merr]

Yes, the series was very interesting.

Another interesting story was told by Major Irzyk, Company B of the 8th Tank Battalion, during the attack on Chaumont. They retreated from Chaumont, specifically his tank in reverse! The book, Patton's Vanguard goes into more detail as he backed his tank out of the town, then, as the driver picked up pace, he turned his turret around to see exactly where they were going ... The took a round from a 128mm shell from ~1000m to the rear turret, which cracked it ... There was a 6inch plate of armor added to the back (which Irzyk said he doesn't know why) that saved his life. I might know why the extra armor was added ... If his tank was a Sherman 76mm, they needed to add a counter-weight to the rear of the turret for the 76mm gun.

Off topic from Great Tank Battles ... Another book describes the weakness of the Tiger tank, from the book "Tigers in the Mud", Otto Carius. The cooling grills (for the radiator) on the rear deck were often the reason that tanks became disabled by otherwise harmless rounds or shrapnel. In one such case, they were under fire from mortars, grenades, and AT rifles and ... quote from book ;

In the afternoon, Zwetti (another Tiger) pointed out to me that a puddle was under the rear of my tank. I didn't have a good feeling. The driver started up the motor, and the thermometer immediately climbed to more than 250 degrees. The Russians had shot a hole in the radiator with their AT rifles and mortars.

Both books are good reading ... Patton's Vanguard and Tigers in the Mud.

[rkr1958]

Another interesting story was told by Major Irzyk, Company B of the 8th Tank Battalion, during the attack on Chaumont. They retreated from Chaumont, specifically his tank in reverse! The book, Patton's Vanguard goes into more detail as he backed his tank out of the town, then, as the driver picked up pace, he turned his turret around to see exactly where they were going ... The took a round from a 128mm shell from ~1000m to the rear turret, which cracked it ... There was a 6inch plate of armor added to the back (which Irzyk said he doesn't know why) that saved his life. I might know why the extra armor was added ... If his tank was a Sherman 76mm, they needed to add a counter-weight to the rear of the turret for the 76mm gun.s.

Yes, I too was taken by this story. As I remember it he was in a column of 6 or so tanks and every tank but his was knocked out.

There was another story told by a tanker in a Sherman cut off and behind German lines during the Bulge. They were trying to get back to the American lines and came to a town occupied by the Germans. As they were driving they saw two German officers walking in a precise military manner down the road. The veteran telling the story was the gunner and his tank commander told his to machine gun the two officers but he didn't. The two officers quickly took a side street to saftey. The Sherman still moving down the road was met by a German Panzer. The Panzer fired as the Sherman also quickly turned to a side street to escape. The Panzer barely missed. As the Sherman continued they came across an enlisted German soldier with his arms in the air to surrender. As soon as the pulled up to and stopped by the soldier the two German officers that they had let escape popped up from behind a wall next to the German soldier and fired a Panzerfaust at the Sherman but fired just a little two high and missed. The gunner who had let the officers escape the first time said he had no problem with machine gunning this time but as he fired his machine gun jammed. He said that was a sicking sound to hear them jam. About that time the two officers popped up with a second panzerfaust and was about to fire when they hit both of them with their main gun. As they drove off the gunner said that the German soldier that was surrendering, who was still there with his hands in the air, gave them two thumbs up. They drove on and made it back to the American lines.

[Surtur]

Great stories guys

[rkr1958]

I just watched another episode last night on the Battle of Krusk. The focus was on a meeting engagement at Prokhorovka between 300 German tanks, many of them Tigers, from the the 2nd SS Panzer Corps and 500 T-34 Russian tanks from the 5th Guards Tank Army. These 800 tanks met each other on July 12th and on a battlefield that was 3x4 miles, or 12-square miles total. The battle lasted all day and the entire battlefield was set ablaze. The Russian T-34s under heavy fire and losses rushed to close the distance between them and the Tiger tanks. This episode has interviews from a German tanker, a Russian tanker, and a Russian Lieutenant who commanded an anti-tank unit. The German tanker lost his tank to a T-34 and only he and one other of his crew members survived.

What struck me was that the Russians adopted a new tactic that totally caught the Germans by surprise. A number of T-34s ran over the top of a German Tiger, which disabled both tanks.